Krak

What keeps things interesting is that Krak has not been running badly — he has picked up six places from those 11 races, meaning he finishes in the money more often than not. He simply hasn't been able to force his way past the horse in front. His recent form tells a slightly more complicated story, though. After that Cork win, his last six runs read 2–no finish–no finish–10th–7th–3rd (most recent first), which suggests something of a slide after his peak moment, with two races where he didn't complete the course.

His regular partner in the saddle is J J Slevin, who has ridden him in 6 of those races and was aboard for the Cork success. Together they have a 1-from-6 record — roughly winning 1 in every 6 times they team up, which is actually a decent enough ratio given the horse's overall level. When Krak has been stepped up to Class 3 races — one rung below the very top tier — he has failed to win in three attempts, suggesting that when the standard rises, he finds life tougher.

He is trained by Nigel and Willy Twiston-Davies, a yard based in Naunton in Gloucestershire that has sent out 61 winners already this season. That is the mark of a busy, competent operation, so Krak is in capable hands — he just hasn't quite been able to repay them with victories on a regular basis. Raced just yesterday, he is very much a horse on the circuit right now, and with a handful of places already in the book, there is clearly a win somewhere in him on his day. The question is whether he can find the form that took him to Cork's winner's circle and make it happen again.